A lot has changed with time, and the perception about a plus size actress in Hollywood is one such thing. The film industry swears by looks. That’s why we hear about a plethora of actresses opting for surgeries so they can be a part of it.
Lean look was and still in some cases is considered the epitome for working on the big screen. But some people recognized the value of talent over body weight and casted plus size actress in Hollywood as female leads, breaking the so-called criteria.
Today, we’ll talk about 10 plus size actresses in Hollywood who, when given the opportunity, broke the stereotypes and won audiences’ hearts with their performance and hard work.
Plus Size Actress In Hollywood
These actresses proved that talent can’t be dominated by body image-
1. Mo’nique
BAFTA Award Winning actress Monique Angela Imes possesses multiple talents and has proven herself as a top-notch comedian, host, and author also.
She stepped into the Hollywood industry with the 1999 T.V. Series- The Parkers. She also got a crucial role in the Steve Purcell directed spin-off film- The Queens Of Comedy in 2002.
She became the 4th African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious in 2009. The very same year, she brought up her talk show The Mo’Nique Show.
The list of awards that she has received is endless. She also got nominated for the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance in Bessie.
2. Rebel Wilson
Though Rebel Wison recently shed weight, she ruled the Hollywood industry for quite a long time.
She adorned a golden gown for attending the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. The hot news is that it was the same gown she had picked for the Vanity Fair Party three years back. What has not changed is that she looked like a doll back then and has the same charm now also.
Apart from acting, Wilson pursued her career as a comedian, producer, writer and singer. She is known for her hilarious comic timings and performance in movies like What To Expect When You’re Expecting and Bachelorette which left people ROFL.
Her appearances in sitcoms namely- Workaholics and Rules Of Engagement got her a spot in the “Top Ten Comics To Watch For 2011” list by Variety.
Wilson is one such plus size actress in Hollywood who was listed in the “100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2021” by BBC.
Her top-notch skills also include voice-overs that showed the world that it’s talent that takes a person ahead. She voiced Mei Mei in Kung Fu Panda 3 and Raz in the video game Ice Age: Continental Drift – Arctic Games.
3. Oprah Winfrey
Who doesn’t know Oprah Winfrey? She is a prominent media personality widely acclaimed for her talk show- The Oprah Winfrey Show. The odds were never in favor of her but she fought against them.
She has set an epitome for inspiring many to overcome their circumstances. Reaching the heights of success, she is the CEO and Chairman of Oprah Winfrey Network and Harpo Productions.
Winfrey holds the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, 18 Daytime Emmys, 2 Primetime Emmys, a Peabody Award, and a Tony Award. She was formally admitted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994.
4. Kristie Alley
Kristie Alley has maintained herself quite in shape but by 2003 she put on weight and took counter-measures. The two times Emmy Award-winning plus size actress in Hollywood has gracefully portrayed her roles in both movies and sitcoms, to name a few- Look Who’s Talking, Veronica’s Closet, Deconstructing Harry, and For Richer Or Poorer.
She raked in Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award for her performance in NBC sitcom Cheers.
5. Christine Metz
Celebrated for her splendid smile, acting, and singing skills, Christine Metz is a Primetime nominee who fetched millions of hearts with her performances.
The Chrissy And The Vapors fame started her career in 2005 and has worked in several television series and movies. During her initial days in her career, she used to work at Mcdonald’s.
Despite being tagged as a plus size actress in Hollywood, Metz’s hard work got her a role in the NBC drama series This Is Us. Her work in several movies earned her applauded response from the critics and nomination for Golden Globe Awards for the NBC drama series twice. She owns two Screen Actors Guild Awards for the same.
Metz has done Ian Samuels directed comedy movie Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, and Jamie Sisley directed Stay Awake. Also, she worked apace with well-known producer DeVon Franklin in Breakthrough.
6. Gabourey Sidibe
American actress Gabourey Sidibe is another plus size actress in Hollywood who lifted the barriers of body image with grace. She won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in her debut movie Precious.
Sidibe continues to rule the Hollywood industry and has delivered masterpiece television drama series and movies. She garnered numerous awards and accolades in her name with her over-the-top skills.
Apart from wonderful acting in movies, Sidibe also voiced characters in American Dad! and BoJack Horseman. She also hosted SNL.
Her marvelous performance in Seven Psychopaths earned her the 2012 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards and she also got nominated for NAACP Image Awards for several movies.
7. Kelly Brook
Actress and model Kelly Brook won a beauty pageant when she was 16. She got offers for several advertisements and later on worked for the Daily Star.
Her first break in the Hollywood film industry was in 2000 with Sorted. However, she got to perform as a lead for the first time in the 2000 Sue Heel directed movie. She also got featured in numerous reality shows, music videos, and T.V. series. The England-based model and plus size actress in Hollywood became a renowned media personality in no time.
8. Octavia Spencer
A Time To Kill fame Octavia Spencer is a plus size actress in Hollywood who has marked an exceptional place for herself in the industry over a decade now.
Swaying people’s hearts away with her hearthrobing performances, she booked several auspicious awards in her name. She took home with her the 2012 Golden Globe Award for her role in The Help.
Spencer won a plethora of awards including 4 African American Film Critics Awards, 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Producers Guild Of America Award, and also got nominated for the 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for representing Madam C. J. Walker in Self Made.
9. Danielle Brooks
Hollywood actress and singer Danielle Brooks rose to fame with the 2nd season of the Netflix comical drama series- Orange Is The New Black. The series continued until 2019 and she played the role of Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson in it. Initially, the series makers planned for her role to be a part of it for a few days, but seeing her splendid performance and the level of its appreciation, they changed their minds and she was cast in it every consecutive season.
She gave quite a competition to Uzo Aduba in the 2017 Lip Sync Battle and won. Her talent played enough to not let the stereotype of a plus size actress in Hollywood steal away her success.
10. Melissa McCarthy
Born in Plainfield, US, Melissa McCarthy is a multi-talented persona and charm of Hollywood. McCarthy is a Primetime Award-winning actress who started her journey with the 1988 NBC sitcom Jenny.
She is widely acclaimed for her performance in Gilmore Girls, a WB television series. Her name was nominated for BAFTA Award, and the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for her performance in Bridesmaid. She is the plus size actress in Hollywood who was one among the 25 Greatest Actors Of The 21st Century list released by The New York Times in 2020.
Apart from her acting career, she was a brilliant comedian, writer, film producer and fashion designer. Using her wits of fashion she launched her clothing line- Melissa McCarthy Seven7 for plus sized women in 2015. She is dominating the Hollywood industry with her skills till date.
The SNL fame recorded the song- Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better), (you proved it Melissa!) in 2016. She did many remarkable movies, to name a few- St. Vincent, Identity Thief, Tammy, The Heat, and Spy among many others.
McCarthy got an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her representation of writer Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me? She also launched a production company- On the Day Productions together with her husband Ben Falcone.
Talent and hard work are a duo that has always broken any social stereotypes and myths. The same is the case with plus size actress in Hollywood. Lean look is considered the epitome of being a lead actress. Nevertheless, some personalities didn’t settle for it and most importantly, some people willfully did cast them because they valued the perfect art in performance. The above article talks about ten tremendously talented plus size actresses in Hollywood who’ve reached sky-high success.